Prosecutor drops drug case against ex-Buff Webb

MOUND CITY, Ill. — A prosecutor said Wednesday he will not pursue marijuana possession charges against Chicago Bears offensive lineman and former West Texas A&M football player J’Marcus Webb, who was charged after a traffic stop in southern Illinois over the weekend.

Pulaski County State’s Attorney Grayson Gile said the drug charges related to Webb’s arrest Sunday night have been dropped, the (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reported. Gile told the newspaper the case lends itself to a “fair and equitable” resolution.

Authorities said a deputy stopped Webb, 24, for speeding on Interstate 57 in Pulaski County, in far southern Illinois along the Ohio River. Webb was freed Monday on bond.

Sheriff Randy Kern and Gile did not return repeated telephone messages left Wednesday by The Associated Press. Online court records show the alleged traffic-related offenses but not the drug-related charges or whether Webb has an attorney. The county’s circuit clerk’s office declined to provide details when reached by phone.

Bears spokesman Mike Corbo said the franchise was aware of the matter and was seeking specifics about it. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league would look into it.

A seventh-round draft pick out of West Texas A&M in 2010, the 6-foot-7, 330-pound Webb has started at left tackle each of the past two seasons after playing right tackle as a rookie.

He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Bears have a new head coach in Marc Trestman, whose main task is to get the most out of quarterback Jay Cutler. A big part of that is fixing the offensive line, which has ranked among the league’s worst in recent seasons and has offered little protection to Cutler. The line could be in for some changes, through free agency, the draft or trades.